Defenshield moving to St. Augustine

Defenshield, a personal protection gear manufacturer, has announced that it is moving operations to St. Johns County.

The announcement was made Friday morning.

The company describes itself as a “corporation manufacturing bullet, blast and fragment resistant equipment for the government, military, law enforcement and the private sector for anti-terror, force protection and physical security requirements.”

Norm Gregory, vice president of economic development for the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, said the company is moving from facilities in Syracuse, N.Y., and Washington. There will be about 20 full-time jobs here.

The total capital investment in the county will be around $2 million, Gregory said. However, there is further potential for greater economic growth because Defenshield will contract with other local companies to manufacture its products.

According to its website, Defenshield designs and produces a range of custom armor and transparent armor solutions including Barrier Caps, SafePoint Mobile Security Stations, SandBag Windows, SafeDesk armor for courthouses, FEMA-spec Hurricane Windows, .50-caliber-resistant Guardhouse Windows and frames for permanent construction buildings, and replacement window kits for the Cadillac-Gage Peacekeeper vehicles in use by many law enforcement agencies.

The company was founded in 2002.

Defenshield’s decision to move here follows similar positive economic news for the county in recent weeks. On April 1, Ideal Aluminium announced it was relocating to St. Johns County from DeLand.